A look at CAMTC

Expenditures: $2.5 million, which includes $685,000 for management and administrative services with Advocacy & Management Group and $566,458 spent on legal services.

Salaries, compensation and employee benefits: $708,305, which includes paying Chief Executive Officer Ahmos Netanel $246,500 and Chief Operations Officer Jill Epstein $44,684. The agency's 18 board members are volunteers and are not compensated.

Source: CAMTC's 2011 990 form

Anti-human trafficking efforts

2000: The Trafficking Victims Protection Act made human trafficking a federal crime. The law also established the Interagency Task Force to monitor and fight human trafficking worldwide. The Act has been reconfirmed in 2003, 2005 and 2008 and now includes benefits for the victims.

2009: The California Massage Therapy Council was formed to certify therapists after reports that schools were selling transcripts and diplomas. The council works to ensure certification processes are fair and does background checks.

2011: Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas and Sen. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) introduced the anti-human trafficking legislation. The law makes selling fraudulent massage therapy certificates a misdemeanor in California. It was signed into law on Aug. 11 and went into effect on Jan. 1, 2012.

Sources: Department of Social Services, U.S. Department of State, CAMTC and the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

A state agency created to provide oversight into hiring at massage parlors has made it increasingly difficult for cities and law enforcement agencies to regulate massage businesses that serve as a front for prostitution and human trafficking, Orange County officials say.

Huntington Beach is considering stricter regulations after massage businesses increased sevenfold in three years and police made 10 prostitution arrests last month. Costa Mesa officials also say they are interested in looking into tighter restrictions after complaints by residents.

City officials say they've lost the power to regulate massage parlors since the California Massage Therapy Council was created in 2009.

"Prior to the CAMTC, we had a zoning ordinance in the city that said only 10 massage parlors were allowed," said Huntington Beach police Det. Steven Fong, who investigates these cases. "That was a manageable number. Now we have 65; that's an impossible number for us to manage."

California Massage Therapy Council officials say they have no authority to regulate or investigate massage establishments, and enforcement is left up to cities.

The nonprofit agency was formed after complaints that some massage schools in California were selling fraudulent transcriptions and certificates. The council certifies individual massage therapists, keeps a list of massage schools under investigation and also requires cities to treat massage therapists the same as they would an architect, accountant or lawyer. This means cities are not allowed to place restrictions or special zoning on any massage businesses unless they are willing to do so for similar businesses.

Legitimate massage therapists say the council's oversight has freed them from unfair regulations in many cities.

"Prior to the law, many cities restricted massage and in some ways they were very oppressive to legitimate professionals," said Beverly May, the council's director of Governmental Affairs.

However, some law enforcement agencies, such as Garden Grove's, say the council makes their job more difficult.

"It has added another layer of bureaucracy at the state level, which unfortunately has either directly or indirectly actually increased the number of 'illegal' massage businesses that act as fronts for prostitution and human trafficking," Police Chief Kevin Raney wrote in an email to the Register.

The city has 19 massage businesses, and police have made 13 prostitution arrests in the last year, officials reported.

Huntington Beach police arrested 10 people in February as part of an investigation. About half of the women arrested had been certified by the council, police said.

In 2010, Fountain Valley police arrested four men related to a massage parlor prostitution ring.

"Fountain Valley historically has a problem with massage parlors," said Fountain Valley police Chief Daniel Llorens. "We keep on top of it, but the moment we turn our backs, they pop up."

La Habra in 2008 and 2009 shut down 18 establishments after concerns about prostitution surfaced. The city has since added requirements to its city code and officials report they have had no recent prostitution arrests.

Related Links

A massage sign is visible from Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach on Saturday. JOSHUA SUDOCK, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A massage sign is visible from Beach Blvd. in Huntington Beach on Saturday. JOSHUA SUDOCK, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A massage sign is visible from Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach on Saturday. JOSHUA SUDOCK, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A massage sign is visible from Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach on Saturday. JOSHUA SUDOCK, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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